Geocaching

The geocaching craze began in May 2000, and has become a worldwide game of hiding and seeking treasure. In Miami County, geocaching provides local families and visitors with a great way to see the county. The caches have been placed throughout the county marking spots that are beautiful, historic and enjoyable. Geocaching is open to everyone with a GPS and a sense of adventure. There are more than 120 caches in Miami County and more than 650,000 geocaches hidden all over the world.

While the caches do not contain “treasure,” they often have trinkets to trade. Geocachers are expected to leave something in the cache if they take a trade item. Visits must also be logged at the site and on-line. Caches may be as simple as a container with a log book and space for trade items or as complex as a puzzle cache that requires the seeker to complete several steps before the final container is found.

Caches may be as small as the tip of a finger or as large as a five-gallon bucket. Notes about the cache’s size and location are logged by the person placing the cache.

Geocachers select a site for a geocache, pinpoint its location using GPS technology and then share the geocache's location online. Anyone with a GPS unit can then try to locate the geocache. There are no participation fees.

Persons placing a geocache are expected to follow the guidelines outlined on the registration web site. Highlights of those guidelines are:

Caches should only be placed at a site with the owner’s permission.

They cannot be buried in any manner that requires seekers to dig or possibility damage the cache location.

Caches should not be placed in areas where traffic may be an issue either in regard for safety of those involved or property which may be damaged by seekers. As an example, careful placement on historic sites is mandatory.

Caches must be a safe distance from active railroad tracks.;

Containers must be waterproof and cannot be made of glass. Persons placing a cache are asked to consider the site involved when determining what an appropriate container is. An ammo container, for example, would not be appropriate in a public space unless clearly marked as a geocache.

A note should be place inside the cache noting that it is part of the geocaching hobby.

Geocachers on the go may need internet access to plan their next find. Free internet access is available at the Johnson County Library, 109 South Webster Street in Spring Hill; Swan River Museum, 12 E. Peoria and Paola City Library, 101 E Peoria Street in Paola; Louisburg Library, 206 S Broadway Street in Louisburg and the Osawatomie Public Library, 527 Brown Avenue in Osawatomie. In some instances, visitors may be required to complete the short paperwork necessary for a free library card.

Miami County encourages geocachers to practice Cache In, Trash Out. By retracing their steps and picking up litter along the way, geocachers can help keep Miami County clean.